Philippine president reveals Pope’s visit had a huge impact on his life.

Pope Francis deeply touched the hearts of thousands of Filipinos who came to welcome him when he arrived Philippines in January. Philippine President Benigno Aquino has said his Catholic faith is stronger and remains so, nine months after Pope Francis visited his country.

During a meeting on Tuesday, at a two-hour forum in Manila with Philippine-based foreign correspondents, he told the reporters; “Even my own faith has really been strengthened and renewed that there is a Church that is not just talking but actually walking the talk.”

He also said that he could see the impact the Pope was having on the Church, which he said was playing a more active role “in worldly matters, not just (being) a Church that mouths the nice things, but actually engages everybody into tackling the problems of the day.”

“There is so much simplicity in the Pope,” said Aquino. “Even (with) the vestments that keep on flying into … his face, that doesn’t seem to faze him. That carrying of that small bag, by himself, at his age.”

Pope Francis visit to the Philippines was solely to sympathize with the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, where more than 6,000 people were killed and more than 4 million people lost their homes, razing villages to the ground in the center of the Philippines in 2013.